Netflix Downloads have made travelling with kids SO much easier

If you’ve got a long journey ahead of you travelling with kids, you’ll know that it’s tough to keep them amused throughout. On our journeys to Wexford from Cork (2/3 hours in the car), we used to try to balance nap time, youtube videos and cow spotting. Sometimes, the lack of decent phone signal would cause a serious deterrent in the youtube use, which was a major pain.

The things we were able to set up for him to watch were also a bit more limited, inevitably the stuff he demanded wasn’t on there at the time. Also, with a ridiculously small data budget on my contract, it was super expensive for a few hours of streaming. So when Netflix announced that they were introducing the ability to download and watch later, we were thrilled. These Netflix Downloads have made road trips and upcoming flights seem a whole lot less intimidating with toddler in tow!

So, how do you do it?

The service is available on Apple and Android devices (you can see the full list here).

If you have a particular title in mind, you can search for that title and look for the download icon . If you just want to see what you can choose from, select Available for Download from the Netflix menu.

Once you have found a title:

1. Select the one you would like to download.
2. On the description page, tap the download icon .
   • For TV shows, this will appear next to each available episode.
3. Once the title has completed downloading, you can access it from the My Downloads section of the app. Note that different titles have different expiration windows, you can check this on the My Downloads page.

You can select the download video quality that best fits your needs (Android devices must be able to stream Netflix in HD to select video quality. ) Standard quality is a slightly lower video quality that requires less storage space and takes less time to download. Higher quality requires more storage space and takes more time to download.

1. From the Netflix app, tap the Menu icon .
2. Scroll down and select App Settings.
3. Under the Downloads heading, select Video Quality.
4. Select either Standard or Higher video quality.

Android devices with an installed SD card allow you to store your downloads there.

1. From the Netflix app, tap the Menu icon .
2. Scroll down and select App Settings.
3. Under the Downloads heading, select Download Location.
4. Select where you would like to store your future downloads (ones already downloaded will stay where they are.

To view your downloads, sign into your account, click on the menu button and go to My Downloads. From there, you can click play, or, if you’re finished with the video, delete it from there (detailed instructions can be found here)

So, What Exactly Can I Watch In This Way?

Unfortunately, not every title that you can stream on Netflix is available for this service, but their offering is really good.

For younger kids, favourites like Peppa Pig, Paw Patrol, Fireman Sam, Team Umizoomi, Blaze and the Monster Machines, Beat Bugs and many more are available. Shopkins, Power Rangers, Puffin Rock and Barbie Life in the Dreamhouse also make an appearance.

Keep teens amused with shows like That 70’s Show and Skins, or films like Sixteen Candles and The DUFF.

For the adults, the service doesn’t let you down either. With full series’ of The People Vs OJ Simpson, Suits, 13 Reasons Why and House Of Cards, you’ll find it easy to spend the long hours on a flight or a commute amused. These are only some of the generous offering available.

It’s a growing service so hopefully if your kid’s (or yours) favourite isn’t on there yet it soon will be. There’s a mix of movies and tv shows for different length journeys to keep everyone amused. Hopefully these Netflix downloads will manage to make travelling with kids a whole lot less stressful for everyone involved. I’ll be trying it out this weekend, I’ll let you know how I get on!

Have you tried Netflix downloads to get through travelling with kids? Let me know how you’ve gotten on in the comments, on Twitter or over on Facebook.